I wrote this sitting at Bucharest airport waiting for my flight back to London, head buzzing from an awesome week delivering the keynote and a masterclass at the ARC Conference, an event full of NGO and civil society leaders from across Romania.
I've been terrible at writing recently and wanted to get some thoughts down before the chaos of being back at my desk takes over.
But first, the best bit of the trip!
The highlight of the trip
The highlight was finally meeting Cristina Praz in person after 15 months of Zoom calls. Cristina is responsible for communications, digital campaigning and so much more at the mighty Centrul FILIA, a Romanian feminist organisation doing extraordinary work, making women's voices heard through community work, advocacy, activism and research. We work with Cristina and her colleague Theodora Dumitrica on their mobilisation strategy and campaigns. Their IG account will give you life.
Spending time with Cristina and Theodora was amazing. As was meeting their teammates Andreea R, Andreea B, Adela and Cristina at their office, over lunch, and in the pub last night after our masterclass.
Andreea the ED showing me the protest sign archive.
And I have to mention Ariel. Ariel the cat. Official Specialist in Wellbeing, Entertainment and Unconditional Love at Centrul FILIA. I included Ariel in my keynote, as she was recently the author of one of the best emails I’ve seen for ages. Ariel and I are now best friends.
Ariel, Official Specialist in Wellbeing, Entertainment and Unconditional Love at Centrul FILIA.
Meeting these amazing women and the cat reminded me of just how lucky I am to do this work and meet incredible people doing incredible things. But also a reminder that we in the UK have a lot to learn from other experiences. Seriously, we need to stop assuming our context and experience is the best way to do this work. Every time I interact with FILIA I get better at my job.
The context
If you've been to any event we've organised or co-organised with Berry from Forward Action, you'll know I spend a lot of time talking about the global rise of populism and what it means for civil society.
I was asked to focus my keynote on this and offer some ideas about how we fight back. I said hell yes to that invitation.
It's not abstract in Romania. They're living this in real time.
Three far-right parties now sit in parliament.
The government was brought down weeks ago when the Social Democratic Party joined forces with far-right parties to deliver the highest no-confidence vote ever recorded in Romanian history.
And just days before I arrived, a new law cleared the Senate that would force NGOs to publicly name every donor who gives more than €1,000. A tactic straight out of the Orbán and Fico playbook. Another chapter in the story of populist parties trying to silence civil society.
The argument
Civil society is losing the battle for attention. Not just because the internet is rigged against us, though it is. But because the right understands the internet in 2026 better than we do. They strategise for influence. We optimise for engagement. They're digital first. We can treat digital as an afterthought.
They win with simple messages that travel. We add complexity and caveats. They speak to people whose minds aren't yet made up. We spend most of our budget talking to people who already agree with us.
But we will win! Because we have something they don't. We have real people. Not bots, fake accounts or troll farms. We’ve got real people who share our values and are waiting to be inspired to act.
Which is why Rally is so focussed on mobilisation! We know we need to ask the public to support us with more than their money. We need to inspire people to give their time, money and voice because they believe in what we’re fighting for and because it reflects who they are and what kind of society they want to live in.
The theme of the event was NOW. Courage is a Decision.
Paul with a slide introducing Ariel the cat.
So I ended the keynote with these words.
These are difficult times. But I know we are up to the challenge.
What gives me hope, always, is the people doing the work. People like all of you, gathered in this room today.
Because change never comes from the top. It happens when we come together. When we invite others in. When we take action to build the kind of society we want to live in.
The theme of this conference is right. Courage is a decision. And it has to be made now.
Not tomorrow. Not when the conditions are better, funding is easier or the political climate shifts. Now. Because every day we respond quietly is a day our opponents get louder.
Action is the antidote to fear and division. Every time someone signs up to your cause, donates, shares, or shows up in real life at an event like this — we build connection. We create momentum. We remind people they're not alone, that they're part of a community who care and are willing to act.
The work you're doing matters. Your values, your energy, your belief in something better — it's contagious.
So take the inspiration and energy you gain from this conference back to your work.
Stay connected. Support each other. Keep going.
And be courageous.
Back to London
Bucharest is a brilliant city full of brilliant people doing incredible work in civil society. The people I met are facing difficult times but the way they're approaching the challenge is genuinely inspiring.
Big love and thanks to Sinziana, Laszlo and the whole ARC team who invited me, looked after me so brilliantly and were a joy to work with.
This, erm, short blog is turning into a gushy diary entry, so I'll stop.
Onwards.
Paul
Paul de Gregorio is the founder of Rally.
In the build up to the event he was interviewed for Romanian publication IQads.
